That’s what you would’ve called stand-up paddle surfing had you lived back in King Kamehameha’s day.

This traditional Hawaiian surfing technique’s modern-day revival began on the islands in the 1950s but washed up on the mainland’s shores just in the past decade. And it’s apparently the hottest new watersport to surface in San Diego, specifically within the last two years, said Jim McCoy, who owns Adventure Water Sports in Mission Bay.

The name says it all: You steer yourself through the water using a 7-foot paddle while balancing yourself atop a 12-foot board. Its appeal? Anything, be it a mushy wave or flat water, is ridable.

Maintaining your balance while paddling makes for a strenuous core workout. And spying on underwater life while wedged in a kayak fails to compare to seeing it while standing up.

Most surf rental shops will rent you all the gear you need for about $20 per hour; lessons usually go for $100 to $150.

The wide-open, empty waves off Silver Strand State Beach are ideal for beginners, said John Ashley, who writes for the paddle surfing blog paddlesurf.net. Ashley also organizes downwind group rides from Coronado to Imperial Beach, as well as paddle surfing tours of La Jolla Cove, which becomes a prime parking spot for garibaldi fish and leopard sharks during the summer months.

But if you’d rather cut through whitecaps while intentionally off your feet, kayak surfing comes as a natural fit (that is, if your wetsuit’s thick enough to shield you from the death glares you’ll most likely fetch from territorial surfers).

Hike Bike Kayak’s (hikebikekayak.com; (858) 551-9510) $75, three-hour course in Mission Beach teaches you the basics of maneuvering a wave in a vessel.

After you’re set to shove off, saddle up with the San Diego Kayak Club (sdkc.org), which regularly embarks on group treks to Sunset Cliffs, the Marine Room, Scripps Pier and Black’s Beach.

Meshing elements of wakeboarding, surfing, windsurfing, sailing and skateboarding, kitesurfing ranks as a dream hobby for watersport aficionados of the nondenominational variety.

Prerequisite No. 1? Patience. First, you’ve got to learn to launch, fly and land your kite — four- or five-string paragliders that measure up to more than 200 square feet. Then, you learn to do it all while strapped to a board.

The payoff? You feel more like you’re riding atop a magic carpet than a wakeboard.

Prereq No. 2? Cash. Rental gear is virtually nonexistent, so be ready to drop up to $1,500 for everything you need. Calikites (calikites.com; (619) 223-5483) in Coronado lets you put half of its $375 lesson fee toward a full set of new kiteboarding equipment.

A shoo-in favorite of the everyday Sunday driver, Aqua-Cycles are to paddleboats as monster trucks are to golf carts. And with 4-foot, primary-colored plastic wheels that keep you afloat while you pedal through the water, they could easily be mistaken for supersized Fisher Price trikes. The going rate runs $20 to $30 per hour for up to two adults and one small child.

Smooth water conditions are a must, so head to California Watersports (carlsbadlagoon.com; (888) 552-4666) in Carlsbad Lagoon, Adventure Water Sports (adventurewatersports.com; (619) 226-8611) in Mission Bay or Action Sport Rentals (actionsportrentals.com; (858) 581-5939), which rents out of Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado and Hilton Mission Bay.